JP2024065648A - Image forming apparatus and image forming method - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To enable printing processing for mixed originals that is easy for the user to read and that is less likely to cause post-processing settings to be cancelled, even without user operations or printer driver settings being performed each time printing is performed. [Solution] An image forming apparatus that includes an original reading unit that reads multiple originals, an original size detection unit that detects the size of each original, an image processing unit that performs image processing on the original images, a printing unit that prints images that have been image-processed or have not been image-processed on printing paper, a post-processing unit that performs post-processing on printing paper of the same main scanning direction size, and a control unit that controls original reading, image processing, printing and post-processing, and when post-processing is set, the control unit applies at least one of image processing such as rotation, enlargement/reduction and margin increase/decrease adjustment to the image of each original, so that if it is possible to align the main scanning direction size to the main scanning direction size of one of the originals, the main scanning direction size of each image can be aligned based on that size and post-processing can be performed. [Selected Figure] Figure 5

Description

This disclosure relates to an image forming apparatus and an image forming method that can perform post-processing on multiple print sheets that have the same size in the main scanning direction.

Some image forming apparatuses such as multifunction peripherals are equipped with post-processing devices (also called finishers) that perform post-processing such as stapling, punching, and saddle stitching on printed sheets of paper. Such post-processing is based on the premise that multiple sheets of paper are the same size in a direction (hereinafter referred to as the main scanning direction in this specification) perpendicular to the transport direction (hereinafter referred to as the sub-scanning direction in this specification). Note that even if the size of the sheets of paper in the main scanning direction (main scanning direction size) is the same, there are sheets of paper that have different sizes in the sub-scanning direction (sub-scanning direction size).
For example, the length of one side of both A4 and A3 size printing paper is 297 mm. When the paper is transported so that the side is in the main scanning direction, the above-mentioned post-processing is possible even if both A4 and A3 sizes are included. The same is true for B5 and B4 sizes, and A5 and A4 sizes. The above are examples of sizes in the AB series, but in the inch series, for example, 11" x 8.5" (letter size) and 11" x 17" (double letter size), 8.5" x 11" (letter size) and 8.5" x 13" (or 13.5", 14") (legal size), 8.5" x 5.5" (half letter size) and 8.5" x 11" (letter size) are also examples of combinations that have the same size in the main scanning direction and can be post-processed.
On the other hand, the size of the print document is not necessarily the same in the main scanning direction. There may be documents with different main scanning and sub-scanning sizes. In such cases, there are known functions for rotating the image of the document by 90 degrees and swapping the length and width to fit the same size of print paper (automatic rotation function), and functions for reducing or enlarging the image of each document in addition to rotating the image to fit the selected size of print paper (automatic magnification selection function).
Also, there is known an image processing apparatus that controls the feeding of paper having a size and orientation that allows post-processing based on the detected size of the document in the automatic paper selection mode (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-233633). However, the specific example described therein corresponds to the above-mentioned automatic rotation function.

JP 2008-236486 A

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-133663 describes a method of displaying a message to inform the user that paper has run out when paper of a size and orientation suitable for post-processing is exhausted from a paper feed cassette, but there is no guarantee that paper of a size and orientation suitable for post-processing will be available simply by performing automatic rotation. In that case, the only option is to cancel the post-processing setting as post-processing is not possible.
The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and by applying image processing, including adjusting the increase and decrease of margins, to original images, it enables printing processing for mixed originals that is easy for users to read and that is less likely to cause post-processing settings to be canceled, even without requiring user operations or printer driver settings to be performed each time printing is performed.

The present disclosure provides an image forming apparatus that includes an original reading unit that reads multiple originals having different sizes in the main scanning direction, an original size detection unit that detects the main scanning direction size and sub-scanning direction size of each original, an image processing unit that performs image processing on the image of the original that has been read, a printing unit that prints the image that has been or has not been image-processed on a standard-sized printing paper, a post-processing unit that performs post-processing on multiple printing papers having the same main scanning direction size according to a user setting, and a control unit that controls the reading of the originals, the image processing, the printing, and the post-processing, and when the post-processing is set, the control unit applies at least one of image processing such as rotation in 90-degree increments, enlargement/reduction, and margin increase/decrease adjustment to the image of each original, so that if it is possible to align the main scanning direction size to the main scanning direction size of one of the originals, the main scanning direction size of each image can be aligned based on that size and the post-processing can be performed.

From a different perspective, the present disclosure provides an image forming method including a step in which a control unit of an image forming device reads images of multiple documents having different sizes in the main scanning direction, a step in which the control unit detects the sizes in the main scanning direction and sub-scanning direction of each document, a step in which image processing is performed on the read documents as necessary, a step in which the image processing is performed on the print paper, the image being subjected to the image processing or not, and a step in which post-processing is performed on multiple print papers having the same main scanning direction size according to a user setting, and the step of performing the image processing includes, when the post-processing is set, applying at least one of image processing such as rotation in 90-degree increments, enlargement/reduction, and margin increase/decrease adjustment to the image of the document, so that the main scanning direction size can be aligned to the main scanning direction size of one of the documents by aligning the main scanning direction size to a standard size and performing the post-processing.

In the image forming device according to the present disclosure, when post-processing is set, the control unit applies at least one of image processes, such as rotation in 90-degree increments, enlargement/reduction, and margin increase/decrease adjustment, to the image of each original document so that the main scanning direction size can be aligned to the main scanning direction size of one of the original documents, and then performs the post-processing by aligning the main scanning direction size of each image to that standard size. This makes it possible to perform printing processing for mixed original documents that is easy for the user to read and that is less likely to cause the post-processing settings to be canceled, even without the user having to perform operations or printer driver settings each time printing is performed.
The image forming method according to the present disclosure also achieves the same effects.

1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a multifunction peripheral including a finisher as an embodiment of an image forming apparatus according to the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the multifunction peripheral shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a conventional method for aligning the main scanning direction size by rotating an image. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a conventional method for adjusting the main scanning direction size by rotating and enlarging/reducing an image. 1. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example in which the multifunction peripheral shown in FIG. 1 aligns the main scanning direction size by adding margins and rotating an image, enabling post-processing. 1A and 1B are explanatory diagrams showing an example in which the multifunction peripheral shown in FIG. 1 enlarges an image, adds margins, and rotates the image depending on whether or not text is present, thereby enabling post-processing to be performed to align the main scanning direction size. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a pop-up window displayed on the operation unit of the multifunction peripheral shown in FIG. 1 . 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a process according to the first embodiment, which is executed by a control unit shown in FIG. 2 . 9 is a flowchart showing an example of processing following that shown in FIG. 8 . 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a process according to the second embodiment, which is executed by a control unit shown in FIG. 2 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the process following FIG. 10 . 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a process according to the fourth embodiment, which is executed by the control unit shown in FIG. 2 . 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the process following FIG. 12 .

The present disclosure will be described in further detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that the following description is illustrative in all respects and should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure.
Configuration of an image forming apparatus equipped with a post-processing device
First, the configuration of an image forming apparatus equipped with a post-processing device will be described.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a multifunction peripheral including a finisher, which is one aspect of an image forming apparatus in this embodiment Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the image forming apparatus shown in Fig. 1 .

1, the multifunction peripheral 100 includes a printing unit 14, a document reading unit 15, an operation unit 19, a manual feed tray 108, and a paper feed tray 109 in the main body. In addition, the multifunction peripheral 100 includes a paper feed desk 110, a large-capacity paper feed tray 120, a post-processing device 130, and a document feeder 160 as peripheral devices. The main body includes the manual feed tray 108 and the paper feed tray 109, and the paper feed desk 110 includes three paper feed trays 111, 112, and 113. The manual feed tray 108, the paper feed trays 109, 111, 112, and 113, and the large-capacity paper feed tray 120 store printing paper of different sizes, and printing can be performed using a printing paper of a size suitable for printing.
2, the main body of the multifunction device 100 further includes a control unit 11 and a storage device 13. The control unit 11 includes a communication control unit 11C, a peripheral device control unit 11D, a file control unit 11F, an image processing unit 11P, a document size detection unit 11S, and a user interface control unit 11U. In addition, the control unit 11 may optionally include a character recognition unit 11R.

The control unit 11 is a circuit mainly composed of a processor and a memory as hardware resources. The processor executes a control program stored in the memory to realize the functions of the above-mentioned units, such as the peripheral device control unit 11D, the image processing unit 11P, the document size detection unit 11S, and the user interface control unit 11U.
The storage device 13 is configured to be accessible from the control unit 11, and is a combination of a RAM and a non-volatile memory. A DDR SDRAM (Double-Data-Rage Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory) such as DDR4 or DDR5 may be applied to the RAM. A solid state disk (SSD) or a hard disk drive (HDD) may be applied to the non-volatile memory.

The printing unit 14 is a part that executes printing, and includes mechanisms and circuits for electrophotographic charging, exposure, development, transfer, and fixing, a paper feed tray 109 in the main body, and a paper feed and transport mechanism that feeds and transports print paper. The paper feed and transport mechanism transports printed print paper and leads it to the post-processing device 130.
The document reading unit 15 includes a mechanism, a circuit, and an image sensor for scanning and reading a document, and generates image data corresponding to the document.
The operation unit 19 includes a display device such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Display) that displays information related to the status and operation of the multifunction device 100, and an input detection device such as a touch panel that detects operations.

A communication control unit 11C included in the control unit 11 controls communication with external devices via a communication circuit (not shown in FIG. 2) such as an Ethernet.
The peripheral device control unit 11D controls communication with peripheral devices (the paper feed desk 110, the large capacity paper feed tray 120, the post-processing device 130, and the document feeder 160) via internal serial communication such as RS422 that is responsible for communication with the post-processing device 130.
The file control unit 11F controls reading and writing of data from and to the storage device 13.
The image processing unit 11P controls processes related to reading and printing of documents and image processing of the read document images. In relation to post-processing in the present disclosure, the image processing unit 11P rotates the document image, adjusts the margins, and enlarges or reduces the image, but also performs other image processing such as adjusting the image quality according to user settings.

The character recognition unit 11R extracts characters from an image of a document and performs a process of identifying which characters they are (character recognition process). Furthermore, based on the arrangement of the recognized characters, it determines the top and bottom of the document image, corrects the skew, and identifies the margin area.
The document size detection unit 11S detects the size of each document by using a sensor that detects the physical size of the document or the document image, and detects the main scanning direction size and the sub-scanning direction size of each document, assuming that each document is rectangular.
A user interface control unit 11U included in the control unit 11 provides information to a user via the operation unit 19, and executes control related to processing for accepting user operations.

Next, the configuration of the post-processing device 130 will be described. The post-processing device 130 communicates with the peripheral device control unit 11D of the main body, and performs operations including post-processing functions according to instructions from the peripheral device control unit 11D. Possible post-processing functions include stapling, punching, and saddle stitching. All post-processing functions are intended for printing paper of the same size in the main scanning direction.
The stapler aligns a plurality of sheets of printing paper in the main scanning direction and staples the sheets at one or two points on the trailing edge while aligning the trailing edges.
Similarly, the punch aligns a plurality of sheets of printing paper in the main scanning direction, and staples the sheets at one or two locations on the trailing edge while aligning the trailing edges.

In saddle stitching, the center of a saddle-stitched copy is folded in half to form a booklet, and then stapled in two places along the fold line.
Printed paper that has undergone any post-processing or has not undergone any post-processing is discharged to one of three discharge trays in the post-processing device 130. Note that saddle-stitched booklets (printed paper) are discharged to the lowest discharge tray.

<Example of rotating to align main scanning direction size (conventional example 1)>
For reference, a conventional method of aligning the main scanning direction size by rotating an image will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a conventional method of aligning the main scanning direction size by rotating an image. In the example shown in FIG. 3, four originals 31 to 34 are arranged from left to right on the top row. The first original 31 is A4 size, and the long side of 297 mm corresponds to the main scanning direction size (shown as Lm in FIG. 3). The second original 32 is A3 size, and the short side of 297 mm corresponds to the main scanning direction size. The third original 33 and the fourth original 34 are both A4 size like the first original 31, but are placed in a direction in which the main scanning direction size is 210 mm (hereinafter referred to as A4R size).

When the control unit 11 reads and prints the first document 31, the document size detection unit 11S detects that the main scanning size is 297 mm for A4 size. The main scanning size of the first document 31 becomes the standard for aligning the main scanning size of the subsequent documents.
In the example shown in FIG. 3, the set magnification (100%) is given priority, and appropriate printing paper is selected based on the document size and the set magnification for printing (automatic paper selection function).

The print papers selected by the control unit 11 for each document based on the automatic paper selection function of Fig. 3 are shown lined up from left to right in the lower row. Since post-processing is set, the print papers are selected so that the main scanning direction size is uniform using image rotation. The print paper 36 corresponding to document 31 is A4 size, and the print paper 37 corresponding to document 32 is A3 size. The print paper 38 corresponding to document 33 is A4 size with the document image rotated. Similarly, the print paper 39 corresponding to document 34 is also A4 size.
In this manner, the control unit 11 as the image processing unit 11P rotates the third and fourth document images to make the main scanning direction sizes uniform, thereby enabling post-processing.

<Example of rotating and enlarging/reducing to make the main scanning direction size uniform (conventional example 2)>
Fig. 4 shows an example of a conventional method for adjusting the main scanning direction size by enlarging or reducing an image. As in Fig. 3, the reference size for adjusting the main scanning direction is the main scanning direction size of the first document 41, i.e., 297 mm.
In the example shown in Fig. 4, the sizes of the first document 41 and the second document 42 are A4 and A3, respectively, as in the example shown in Fig. 3. However, the third document 43 is B4 size, unlike the example shown in Fig. 3. Also, the fourth document 44 is B5R size, unlike the example shown in Fig. 3. The main scanning direction sizes of the documents 43 and 44 do not match even if the images are rotated.

In the example shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 11 not only rotates the image but also enlarges and reduces the document image to make the main scanning direction size uniform. For the document 43, the document image is rotated and reduced to A4 size to make the main scanning direction size uniform to the standard 297 mm. The document image of the document 43 may be enlarged to A3 size. For the document 44, the document image is rotated and enlarged to A4 size to make the main scanning direction size uniform to the standard. The printing paper 46 corresponding to the document 41 is A4 size, and the printing paper 47 corresponding to the document 42 is A3 size. The printing paper 48 corresponding to the document 43 is A4 size due to rotation and reduction. The printing paper 49 corresponding to the document 44 is A4 size due to rotation and enlargement.
In this manner, the control unit 11 as the image processing unit 11P rotates and further enlarges or reduces the images of the third and fourth original documents to make the main scanning direction sizes uniform, thereby enabling post-processing.

<<Example of adding margins to make the main scanning direction size uniform (first embodiment)>>
According to the present disclosure, the control unit 11 tries to make the main scanning direction size uniform without changing the magnification of the document image as much as possible. If the magnification of the document image is changed, for example, characters may become small and difficult to read. In addition, enlarging the document image may make the edges of lines appear unnatural and the background or image may appear rough.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of making the main scanning direction size uniform by adding margins to document images.
The first to fourth originals 51 to 54 are the same size as the example shown in Fig. 4. For the third original 53, the main scanning direction size is adjusted to the standard 297 mm by adding margins to both sides of the B4 size main scanning direction size of 257 mm. For the original 54, the main scanning direction size is adjusted to the standard by rotating the original image and adding margins to both sides. The printing paper 56 corresponding to the original 51 is A4 size, and the printing paper 57 corresponding to the original 52 is A3 size. The printing paper 58 corresponding to the original 53 is A3 size due to the addition of margins. The printing paper 59 corresponding to the original 54 is A4 size due to the rotation and the addition of margins.

In this manner, the control unit 11 as the image processing unit 11P adds margins to the third and fourth document images to make the main scanning direction sizes uniform, thereby enabling post-processing.
If the margins of the document image are large, the margins may be reduced. For example, in the example shown in Fig. 5, if the document image of document 53 has margins large enough that the image is not lost even when the document image is trimmed to A4 size, the document image may be rotated to reduce the margins and make the document A4 size. The size of the margins can be determined by the image processing unit 11P identifying an area in the document image where color pixels exist.
According to this embodiment, it becomes possible to perform image formation accompanied by post-processing while maintaining the original image magnification.
In the example shown in Fig. 5, the margins are added equally on both sides in both the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction, but the manner in which the margins are added is not limited to this. For example, in the case of post-processing in which a staple is placed at the upper left corner of the printed paper, the margins may be added only to the bottom edge in the main scanning direction and only to the right edge in the sub-scanning direction. In this way, if a user later deems the margins added to the printed and stapled pages unnecessary, the margins added to the bottom and right edges of the pages can be cut off with scissors or the like to make them the same size as the original document.
Similarly, in the case of post-processing in which staples are placed at two positions, one above and one below, on the left edge of the print paper, margins may be added to both the top and bottom ends in the main scanning direction and only to the right edge in the sub-scanning direction.

<<Example of minimizing the number of document images to be enlarged or reduced and aligning them in the main scanning direction (second embodiment)>>
In both of the conventional examples 1 and 2 and the embodiment 1, the main scanning direction size of the subsequent documents is made uniform based on the main scanning direction size of the first document. In contrast, in this embodiment, the standard for making the main scanning direction sizes uniform is not limited to the first document, but is set to the optimal size from the viewpoint of minimizing the number of document images to be enlarged or reduced. Note that the embodiment 1 does not intend to limit the standard size to the main scanning direction size of the first document. As in this embodiment, the optimal size may be set to the standard from the viewpoint of minimizing the number of document images to be enlarged or reduced or the margins to be increased or decreased.
In this embodiment, the optimal size is, in other words, the length of the length or width of each document that has the most common side. The main scanning direction size is made uniform based on the length of that side.
According to this embodiment, the reference size cannot be determined until the size of each document is detected. Therefore, printing cannot start. However, since a reference that can minimize the number of document images to be enlarged or reduced is adopted, the finished print can be more preferable than if the main scanning direction size of the first document was used as the reference.
In the conventional automatic magnification selection function, the image of each document is enlarged or reduced so as to fit the specified paper size before printing. In the conventional examples 1 and 2 and the first embodiment, the main scanning size is made uniform based on the main scanning size of the first document. In contrast, according to this aspect, the standard main scanning size is determined so as to minimize the number of document images that differ from the standard main scanning size. This makes it possible to minimize the number of images to be resized.

<<Example of minimizing the enlargement ratio and maximizing the reduction ratio to align the main scanning direction (third embodiment)>>
This embodiment is similar to the second embodiment in that the standard for aligning the main scanning direction size is not limited to the first document. While the second embodiment focuses on minimizing the number of document images to be reduced or enlarged, this embodiment focuses on bringing the reduction or enlargement ratio closer to 100%.
In this embodiment, the standard main scanning direction size is determined so that when image rotation and reduction/enlargement are applied to each original document to make the main scanning direction size uniform as in Conventional Example 2, the magnification of the enlarged original document image and the reduction magnification of the reduced original document are as close to unity as possible.

In this embodiment, as in the second embodiment, the reference size cannot be determined until the size of each document is detected. Therefore, printing cannot start. However, since a reference that allows the document image to be reduced or enlarged to be close to life-size is adopted, the print finish can be more satisfactory than if the main scanning direction size of the first document was used as the reference.
According to this aspect, the standard size in the main scanning direction is determined so that the original image to be reduced or enlarged is close to the same size. By doing so, the magnification of the image to be enlarged or reduced can be made close to the same size.

<<Example of Adjusting Main Scanning Direction Size by Processing Depending on Whether Characters Are Included or Not (Fourth Embodiment)>>
In this embodiment, the control unit 11 includes a character recognition unit 11R, which determines whether each document contains character data or not.
The control unit 11 tries to avoid enlarging or reducing the document including character data as much as possible. For example, to achieve this, the control unit 11 prioritizes the adjustment of margins over enlarging or reducing the document. If it is still determined that the main scanning direction size cannot be made uniform without enlarging or reducing the document, the control unit 11 determines the reference size to be as close to the same size as possible.
On the other hand, for documents that are determined not to contain character data, image rotation and enlargement/reduction are performed in the same manner as in the second conventional example to make the main scanning direction size of those documents the same as the reference size.
When text is enlarged or reduced, it tends to become harder to read than the original document, so for documents that contain text, the magnification is set to the same or close to the original. On the other hand, for documents that are only images and do not contain text, the enlargement or reduction does not cause much discomfort, so they are treated in the same way as in Conventional Example 2.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of making the main scanning direction size uniform according to this embodiment.
The first and third originals 61, 63 are A4 and B4 sizes, respectively, as in the example shown in Fig. 5. The second original is A3 size, and the fourth original is A4R size. The second original 62 is determined by the character recognition unit 11R to be an original image containing only image data, while the first original 61, the third original 63, and the fourth original 64 are determined to be original images containing character data.
In order to align the main scanning direction sizes of the first document 61, the third document 63, and the fourth document 64 containing character data without changing the magnification, the control unit 11 determines the standard size for aligning the main scanning direction sizes to be 297 mm.

The first document 61 has a standard main scanning size as is. The fourth document 64 can be made uniform in main scanning size to the standard size by rotating the image. The third document 63 cannot be made uniform in main scanning size even by rotating the image, but it can be made uniform in main scanning size by adding margins on both sides to make it A3 size.
For the second document 62 which does not contain character data, the magnification is changed and the documents are aligned based on the size in the main scanning direction.
Therefore, the printing paper 66 corresponding to the document 61 is A4 size, the printing paper 67 corresponding to the document 62 is A4 size, the printing paper 68 corresponding to the document 63 is A3 size, and the printing paper 69 corresponding to the document 64 is A4 size.

In this way, the control unit 11, functioning as the image processing unit 11P, enlarges the image of the second original document, adds margins to the image of the third original document, and rotates the image of the fourth original document to align the main scanning direction size so that post-processing can be performed.
As in the first embodiment, if the margins of the document image are large, the margins may be reduced. Furthermore, if it is necessary to enlarge or reduce a document that contains character data, as in the third embodiment, the reference size is determined so that the magnification of the enlarged document image and the reduction magnification of the reduced document are as close to the same size as possible.
According to this aspect, for an image of an original containing text, the image is printed at the same magnification as the original image or at a magnification close to the original magnification, so that the size of the text does not change or the change is minimized, making it easy for the user to read.

<<Selection of Post-Processing Priority or Size Priority (Fifth Embodiment)>>
In the above-described first to fourth embodiments, if it is determined that an original size has been detected that cannot be adjusted in the main scanning direction size by image rotation alone, the control unit 11 may allow the user to select whether to print by prioritizing the post-processing settings, or to cancel the post-processing settings and print at a size based on the original size and magnification settings.
For example, in the example shown in Figure 5, when the document sizes of the third document 53 and the fourth document 54 are detected and it is determined that the main scanning direction size cannot be aligned by image rotation alone, the control unit 11, as the user interface control unit 11U, causes the operation unit 19 to display a pop-up window 70 shown in Figure 7.

7, the control unit 11 displays a message 71 saying "A document of a different size has been detected. Please select one of the following" in a pop-up window 70. Furthermore, two options are displayed below the message 71.
The first option is a post-processing priority button 72. The post-processing priority button 72 provides an option to "prioritize stapling and align the print paper width of each page" for printing, as shown in FIG.
The second option is a size priority button 74. The size priority button 74 provides the option of printing by "giving priority to the original document size and canceling staple processing" as shown in FIG.

When either the post-processing priority button 72 or the size priority button 74 is touched, the control unit 11, functioning as the user interface control unit 11U, performs printing according to the user's selection. That is, when the post-processing priority button 72 is touched, the image processing described in the first to fourth embodiments is performed for post-processing. On the other hand, when the size priority button 74 is touched, post-processing is canceled, and printing is performed by selecting a print paper according to the size of the document without aligning the main scanning direction size.
According to this aspect, by allowing the user to select whether to prioritize post-processing or size, it is possible to prevent printing contrary to the user's intentions even for a user who places more importance on magnification than on post-processing.
7 shows an example in which a pop-up window is displayed when the user executes a job, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a setting menu may be prepared that accepts a setting as to whether to give priority to post-processing or to document size. In this way, the user does not have to go through the trouble of making a selection in the pop-up window 70 when executing a job.

Flowchart according to the first embodiment
The process executed by the control unit 11 will be described below with reference to the flowchart.
Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the process according to the above-mentioned embodiment 1. Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the process subsequent to Fig. 8 .
8 is an example of a job including post-processing, in which a copy job with stapling is set. It is assumed that the document is read using the document feeder 160.

When the user interface control unit 11U receives a job execution instruction from the user, the control unit 11 as the peripheral device control unit 11D instructs the document feeder 160 to feed a document. Then, the control unit 11 as the image processing unit 11P reads the first document (document 51 shown in FIG. 5) that is fed. Also, the control unit 11 as the document size detection unit 11S detects the size of the document 51. The control unit as the image processing unit 11P determines the size of the printing paper to be used to print the read document 51. In the example shown in FIG. 5, it is A4 size. Then, the first document image is printed on the printing paper of the selected size. Also, the main scanning direction size of the document 51, 297 mm, is set as the reference size when selecting printing paper corresponding to the subsequent documents 52 to 54. (Step S11).

Following reading of the first document (document 51 in the example shown in FIG. 5), the control unit 11 reads the next document (document 52 in the case of document 51) and detects the size of the next document (document 52) (step S13). Then, in order to determine the size of the printing paper to be used to print the next document (document 52), the control unit 11 as the image processing unit 11P makes the following judgment. First, it is judged whether the next document (document 52) is a different size from the previous document (document 51) (step S15). If it is the same size as the previous document (No in step S15), the process proceeds to the printing process of step S31 in FIG. 9.

If the size is different from the previous document (Yes in step S15), it is determined whether the size can be adjusted to match the main scanning direction size by rotating the image as necessary (step S17). In the example of document 52 shown in Figure 5, the document size is A3 size, and the main scanning direction size can be adjusted to the standard 297 mm without rotating the image. Therefore, the determination in step S17 is Yes.

If the determination in step S17 is Yes, the control unit 11 as the image processing unit 11P selects a print sheet to be aligned based on the main scanning direction size including image rotation. In the example of the document 52, an A3 size print sheet is selected. Then, the process proceeds to step S31 in FIG. 9.
On the other hand, if the determination in step S17 is No (in the example shown in FIG. 5, the previous document is document 52 and the next document is document 53), the control unit 11 as the image processing unit 11P determines whether or not the margins can be increased or decreased to align the main scanning direction size as a standard (step S21). In the example of document 53 shown in FIG. 5, the main scanning direction size can be aligned as a standard by adding margins to document 53 of B4 size to make it A3 size, so the determination in step S21 is Yes. In the example of document 54, the direction size can be aligned as a standard by rotating the image of document 54 of B5R size, adding margins, and making it A4 size. Therefore, the determination in step S21 is Yes. It is possible to align document 54 to A3 size by adding margins without rotating the image, but it is determined that A4 size is preferable because it requires a smaller margin.

If the determination in step S21 is Yes, the control unit 11 as the image processing unit 11P selects a print sheet to be aligned based on the main scanning direction size including image rotation. In the example of the original 53, A3 size print sheet is selected. In the example of the original 54, A4 size print sheet is selected. Then, the process proceeds to step S31 in FIG. 9.
On the other hand, if the determination in step S21 is No, the control unit 11 as the image processing unit 11P determines that the target document cannot be aligned based on the main scanning direction size, and cancels the setting of post-processing. Therefore, for the target document and subsequent documents, the control unit 11 selects an appropriate print paper and continues printing without performing image processing for aligning the main scanning direction size as the standard.

Step S31 shown in Fig. 9 is a printing process for the next document. The control unit 11 functioning as the image processing unit 11P determines whether or not the margin needs to be increased or decreased in order to print on the selected printing paper.
If it is determined that the margins need to be adjusted (Yes in step S31), the document image is rotated as necessary, and the document image is printed on the selected printing paper with the margins adjusted (step S33).Then, the process proceeds to step S37.
On the other hand, if it is determined that the margin adjustment is not necessary (No in step S31), the document image is rotated as necessary and printed on the selected printing paper without adjusting the margin (step S35).Then, the process proceeds to step S37.

In step S37, the control section 11 functioning as the image processing section 11P determines whether or not the printing process has been performed on the final document.
If the final document has not yet been processed (No in step S37), the process returns to step S13 in Fig. 8, and the process continues with the next document. In the example shown in Fig. 5, the processes continue in this manner for documents 52, 53, and 54.
If it is determined in step S37 that the final document has been processed (Yes in step S37; in the example shown in FIG. 5, document 54 has been processed), it is then determined whether the post-processing (stapling) setting has been released in the processing of step S25 described above (step S41).

If the setting of post-processing (stapling) has not been released (Yes in step S41), post-processing (stapling) is performed on the print sheets whose main scanning direction size is uniform (step S43), and the job is ended.
On the other hand, if the setting of post-processing (stapling) is canceled (No in step S41), the job is ended without performing post-processing (stapling) (step S45).
The above is the flow of a copy job in which stapling is set, as a specific example of the process according to the first embodiment shown in FIGS.

Flowchart according to the second embodiment
Next, the flow of processing according to the second embodiment will be described.
Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the process according to the above-mentioned embodiment 2. Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the process subsequent to Fig. 10 .
The explanation of the processes common to the flowcharts shown in Figures 8 and 9 will be simplified. In the second embodiment, after the original is read, a standard size for aligning the main scanning direction size is determined, and printing is started. The image processing applied to each original is image rotation and enlargement/reduction. Although it can be combined with the margin increase/decrease adjustment described in the first embodiment, it is not combined with the margin increase/decrease adjustment here in order to simplify the explanation and make it easier to understand.

As shown in FIG. 10, when the user interface control unit 11U receives an instruction to execute a job from a user, the control unit 11, acting as the image processing unit 11P, reads the first page of the document. The control unit, acting as the document size detection unit 11S, detects the size of the document. The control unit 11, acting as the image processing unit 11P, associates the read document image with the detected document size. The control unit 11, acting as the file control unit 11F, stores the data in the storage device 13 (step S51).

After reading the first document, the control unit 11 reads the next document and detects the size of the next document. Then, the document image of the next document is associated with the detected document size. The control unit 11, functioning as the file control unit 11F, stores the data in the storage device 13 (step S53).
Then, the control unit 11 as the image processing unit 11P judges whether the last document has been read (step S55). If the last document has not yet been read (No in step S55), the process returns to step S53 and the next document is read. Then, the document image of each document is stored in the storage device 13 in association with the detected document size.

When it is determined in step S55 that the last document has been read (Yes in step S55), the control unit 11 as the image processing unit 11P determines whether documents of different sizes are included by referring to the sizes of the documents read (step S57). When all the documents are the same size (No in step S57), the process proceeds to step S65 described later.
If documents of different sizes are included (Yes in step S57), it is determined whether or not the main scanning direction sizes can be made uniform by rotating the images as necessary (step S59).

If the main scanning direction size can be made uniform by rotating the images (Yes in step S59), a print paper sheet corresponding to that size is selected (step S61), and the process proceeds to step S65, which will be described later.
If the main scanning size cannot be made uniform by image rotation alone (No in step S59), a size that can make the main scanning size uniform by further including the enlargement/reduction of the original image is determined. Then, a print paper corresponding to that size is selected. Here, if image rotation and enlargement/reduction are combined, the main scanning direction can be made uniform on any print paper, but in this embodiment, the size that minimizes the number of originals to be enlarged/reduced is selected as the standard (step S63).

Although this is not a diagram relating to this embodiment but a diagram relating to a conventional example, for convenience, the description will be given with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 shows an example of four originals, each of which is A4 size, A3 size, B4 size, and B5R size. In the conventional example shown in FIG. 4, the standard size is 297 mm, which is the main scanning direction size of the first original 41. However, by combining image rotation and enlargement/reduction, it is possible to align the main scanning direction size to a size other than 297 mm.

For example, it is possible to align the main scanning direction size of the third document 43 of B4 size to 257 mm. In this case, the A4 size document 41 can be enlarged by rotating the image. The second document 42 can be reduced. The fourth document 44 can be enlarged. In this case, the number of documents to be enlarged or reduced is three.
It is also possible to align the size in the main scanning direction to 182 mm of the fourth document 44 of B5R size. In this case, the document 41 is reduced by rotating the image, and documents 42 and 43 are both reduced. In this case, the number of documents to be enlarged or reduced is three.
4, if the main scanning direction size is set to 297 mm, the number of documents to be enlarged or reduced is two, and as a result, 297 mm is set as the standard for the main scanning direction size as in Prior Art 2. However, the process of determining the standard differs from that in Prior Art 2.

In this manner, the control unit 11 functioning as the image processing unit 11P determines a reference size for aligning the main scanning direction size so as to minimize the number of documents to be enlarged or reduced (step S65).
After determining the reference size, the control unit 11 as the image processing unit 11P rotates the image as necessary, but determines whether the image can be printed on the selected printing paper without enlarging or reducing it (step S71).
If it is determined that printing is possible by simply rotating the image as necessary (Yes in step S71), the necessary document images are rotated to align the main scanning direction size, and then the document images are printed on the selected printing paper (step S73).Then, the process proceeds to step S77.
On the other hand, if it is determined that enlargement or reduction is necessary (No in step S71), the document image is rotated as necessary, and enlarged or reduced as necessary to print the document image on the selected printing paper (step S75), and the process proceeds to step S77.

In step S77, the control section 11 functioning as the image processing section 11P determines whether or not the printing process has been performed on the final document.
If the printing process has not yet been performed on the last document (No in step S77), the process returns to step S71 shown in FIG. 8, and the printing process continues on the next document.
If it is determined in step S77 that printing processing has been performed on the final document (Yes in step S77), post-processing (stapling) is performed on the print sheets whose main scanning direction size is uniform (step S79), and the job is completed.
The above is the flow of a copy job in which stapling is set, as a specific example of the process according to the second embodiment shown in FIGS.
The process of the third embodiment has many points in common with the process of the second embodiment in terms of the flow of the process, so a flowchart is omitted.

Flowchart according to the fourth embodiment
Next, the flow of processing according to the fourth embodiment will be described.
Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the process according to the above-mentioned embodiment 4. Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the process subsequent to Fig. 12.
The process flow will be described below with a focus on the differences and a simplified explanation of the processes common to the flowcharts shown in Figures 10 and 11. In the second embodiment, character recognition is performed to identify documents containing character data (text documents). For text documents, priority is given to image rotation and margin adjustment over enlargement/reduction. If it is still determined that the main scanning direction size cannot be made uniform without enlargement/reduction, a reference size is determined so that the enlargement and reduction magnifications are close to unity.

The processes in steps S91 to S101 shown in FIG. 12 correspond to steps S51 to S61 shown in FIG. 10, respectively, and therefore will not be described.
In step S99, the control unit 11 determines whether the main scanning direction size can be made uniform by rotating the image as necessary, but if the main scanning direction size cannot be made uniform by image rotation alone (No in step S99), the following processing is performed.
The control unit 11 functioning as the character recognition unit 11R determines whether the image of each document contains character data, and identifies whether the document contains character data (character document) or not (image document) (step S103).

For text documents (Yes in step S103), the process of rotating each document image is prioritized, followed by the process of increasing or decreasing the margins of each document to align the main scanning size. If this alone does not align the main scanning size of each document, further enlargement or reduction is performed. In this case, a standard size for aligning the main scanning size is selected so that the magnification of documents that need to be enlarged or reduced is close to unity (step S105).
On the other hand, for image documents (No in step S103), image rotation and enlargement/reduction are applied as necessary in the same manner as in the conventional example 2, and the size in the main scanning direction is made the standard (step S107). Here, the standard size is the standard size determined for the text document.
When the document is only an image document, the method of the third embodiment may be applied to determine the reference size.

In this manner, the control unit 11 as the image processing unit 11P determines a reference size for aligning the main scanning direction size so that the magnification of enlargement or reduction of the text document is close to unity (step S111 shown in FIG. 13).
The following steps S113, S115, S123, and S125 correspond to steps S71, S73, S77, and S79 in FIG. 11, respectively, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.
In step S113, the control unit 11 as the image processing unit 11P determines whether or not it is possible to print on the selected printing paper by simply rotating the image, but if it determines that it is not possible to align the main scanning direction size by simply rotating the image (No in step S113), the control unit 11 performs the following processing.

Based on whether each document is a text document or an image document (step S117), if it is a text document (Yes in step S117), the process of rotating each document image is prioritized, and then the process of increasing or decreasing the margins of each document is prioritized to make the main scanning direction sizes uniform. If the main scanning direction sizes of each document cannot be made uniform by this alone, further enlargement or reduction is performed (step S119). In this case, the standard size is selected by the process of step S105 described above so that the magnification of documents that need to be enlarged or reduced is close to 1:1.
For an image original (No in step S117), the original image is rotated as necessary, and enlarged or reduced as necessary to align the main scanning direction size as a standard, and the original image is printed on the selected printing paper (step S121).
The above is the flow of a copy job in which stapling is set, as a specific example of the process according to the fourth embodiment shown in FIGS.

It should be understood that the present disclosure also includes any combination of the above-described aspects.
In addition to the above-described embodiment, various modifications of the present disclosure are possible. These modifications should not be interpreted as not belonging to the scope of the present disclosure. The invention according to the present disclosure should include all modifications that are equivalent to the scope of the claims and that belong to the scope of the present disclosure.

11: Control unit, 11C: Communication control unit, 11D: Peripheral device control unit, 11F: File control unit, 11P: Image processing unit, 11R: Character recognition unit, 11S: Document size detection unit, 11U: User interface control unit, 13: Storage device, 14: Printing unit, 15: Document reading unit, 19: Operation unit 31, 32, 33, 34, 41, 42, 43, 44, 51, 52, 53, 54, 61, 62, 63, 64: Document, 36, 37, 38, 39, 46, 47, 48, 49, 56, 57, 58, 59, 66, 67, 68, 69: Print paper, 70: Pop-up window, 71: Message, 72: Post-processing priority button, 74: Size priority button 100: Multifunction device, 108: Manual feed tray, 109, 111, 112, 113: paper feed tray, 110: paper feed desk, 120: large capacity paper feed tray, 130: post-processing device, 160: document feeder

Claims (6)

an original reading unit that reads a plurality of originals having different sizes in a main scanning direction;
a document size detection unit for detecting a size of each document in a main scanning direction and a sub-scanning direction;
an image processing unit that performs image processing on the image of the read document;
a printing unit that prints the image, which has been subjected to the image processing or which has not been subjected to the image processing, on a printing paper of a standard size;
a post-processing unit that performs post-processing on a plurality of print sheets having the same main scanning direction size in accordance with a user setting;
a control unit that controls the reading of the document, the image processing, the printing, and the post-processing,
The control unit, when the post-processing is set, applies at least one of image processing such as rotation in 90-degree increments, enlargement/reduction, and margin increase/decrease adjustment to the image of each original document, so that if it is possible to align the main scanning direction size to the main scanning direction size of one of the original documents, the control unit aligns the main scanning direction size of each image based on that size and enables the post-processing to be performed on the image forming device. The image forming device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit performs image processing to add margins to the image of the required document without enlarging or reducing it when it determines that the size of each document detected by the document size detection unit cannot be adjusted to the reference size in the main scanning direction by simply rotating the document but can be adjusted by adding margins. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit causes the document reading unit to read the image of each document and the document size detection unit to detect the size of each document, and then determines the reference size so as to minimize the number of documents to which enlargement or reduction is applied. A character recognition unit is further provided to determine whether or not each document image contains characters.
2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit determines the reference size by adding margins without enlarging or reducing the image of an original document whose image includes text, and by enlarging or reducing the image of an original document whose image does not include text to align the main scanning direction size. The image forming device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control unit, when the post-processing is set and an original with a different size in the main scanning direction is detected, accepts a user's selection of whether to prioritize the post-processing and apply image processing as necessary, or to cancel the post-processing setting and prioritize printing based on each original or print settings set by the user. A control unit of the image forming apparatus
A step of reading images of a plurality of documents having different sizes in a main scanning direction;
detecting the size of each document in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction;
performing image processing on the read document as necessary;
printing the image, with or without the image processing, on a printing sheet;
performing post-processing on a plurality of print papers having the same size in the main scanning direction in accordance with a user setting;
The image processing step is an image forming method in which, when the post-processing is set, if it is possible to align the main scanning direction size to the main scanning direction size of any original by applying at least one of image processing such as rotation in 90-degree increments, enlargement/reduction, and margin increase/decrease adjustment to the image of the original, the main scanning direction size is align to a standard size and the post-processing can be performed.